MSP Practitioner flashcards
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32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- Programme definition in MSP
- A temporary, flexible organisation created to coordinate, direct and oversee related projects and activities delivering outcomes and benefits tied to strategic objectives.
- Senior Responsible Owner
- The accountable owner of the programme who owns the Business Case, chairs the Programme Board and is answerable to the Sponsoring Group for programme success.
- Business Change Manager
- The role accountable for benefit realisation and business readiness, ensuring the receiving organisation adopts the new capability and that benefits are measured.
- Programme Manager
- The role responsible for day-to-day management of the programme, coordinating projects, managing the programme plan and reporting progress to the Programme Board.
- Sponsoring Group
- The top governance layer of a programme, providing strategic direction, approving the Business Case and tranche boundaries, and setting tolerances for the programme.
- Programme Mandate
- The trigger document that authorises creation of a programme and initiates the Identifying a Programme process, later refined into the Programme Brief.
- Programme Brief
- An early document setting out the initial vision, scope, benefits and risks of a proposed programme, used to decide whether to proceed to Defining a Programme.
- Blueprint
- The document describing the future state of the organisation, covering the business model and the design of the operating model needed to enable the desired outcomes.
- Benefits Map
- A diagram linking each project output to a capability, then to an outcome, then to a benefit, showing the causal chain that justifies the programme.
- Benefit definition
- A measurable improvement resulting from an outcome that is perceived as an advantage by one or more stakeholders, with an owner, measure, baseline and target.
- Outcome vs output
- An output is a product delivered by a project; an outcome is the changed business state resulting from using that output to deliver a capability.
- Capability in MSP
- The completed combination of project outputs, processes and people that enables an organisation to achieve an outcome and realise benefits.
- Tranche
- A group of projects and activities managed together as a delivery step within a programme, ending at a tranche boundary where continuation is reviewed.
- End Tranche Assessment
- A review at a tranche boundary checking benefits progress, blueprint delivery, risk exposure and Business Case viability before authorising the next tranche.
- Transformational flow
- The six MSP processes: Identifying a Programme, Defining a Programme, Managing the Tranches, Delivering the Capability, Realising the Benefits and Closing a Programme.
- Identifying a Programme
- The first transformational flow process, producing the Programme Mandate, Programme Brief and Vision Statement, and confirming the programme is justified.
- Defining a Programme
- The process producing the Blueprint, Benefits Map, Programme Plan, Business Case and governance arrangements needed to authorise the first tranche.
- Managing the Tranches
- The process of directing and controlling the programme across tranches, including boundary reviews, Board decisions and tolerance management.
- Delivering the Capability
- The process coordinating projects and their outputs so that the combined capability required by the Blueprint is delivered and confirmed fit for purpose.
- Realising the Benefits
- The process of embedding the new capability in the business, measuring benefit achievement against targets and taking corrective action where needed.
- Closing a Programme
- The final process confirming benefits are on track, capability is handed over and residual activities transfer to business-as-usual owners.
- MSP principles
- Seven principles guiding programmes: alignment with strategy, leading change, envisioning a better future, focusing on benefits, adding value, coherent capability design and learning from experience.
- Vision Statement
- A concise description of the future state the programme will create, communicated to stakeholders and supported by the Blueprint that shows how it is realised.
- Programme Business Case
- The document justifying the programme on strategic fit, benefits confidence, cost and affordability and risk balance, owned by the SRO and reviewed at tranche boundaries.
- Benefits Realisation Plan
- A plan stating which benefits will be measured, by whom, when and using which measures, plus the action to take if achievement falls short.
- Business readiness
- The condition in which the receiving organisation is prepared to absorb the new capability, achieved through transition management, engagement and change activities.
- Programme tolerances
- Delegated limits for time, cost, scope, quality, risk and benefits set by the Sponsoring Group, with breaches escalated to the next governance layer.
- Programme risk register
- The log of programme-level risks such as tranche dependency, benefit shortfall and stakeholder culture risks, distinct from individual project risk registers.
- Dependency register
- A log of inter-project and inter-programme dependencies, reviewed at Programme Board meetings and tranche boundaries so sequencing stays coherent.
- Programme Office role
- The function providing information, control and administrative support to the Programme Board, maintaining plans, registers, issue logs and reporting.
- Programme assurance
- Independent review activity reporting to the Sponsoring Group, checking continued Business Case viability, blueprint alignment and delivery confidence.
- Types of programme
- MSP identifies vision-led programmes driven by strategic change, emergent programmes growing from portfolios of projects, and compliance-led programmes mandated by regulation.